Harry's Strange Charms
by Healer Pomfrey
Summary: Harry falls ill a week before Christmas in his first year, and Dumbledore decides to send Harry back to the Dursleys. Will Professor Snape and his wife, Harry's magical aunt, be able to prevent that by becoming his guardians? AU, OOC, sick!Harry
1. Chapter 1

**Harry's Strange Charms**

**Chapter 1**

It was Sunday evening when Harry returned to his dormitory after a three hour Quidditch practice in the in the icy cold December air. He quickly took a hot shower, hoping to get warm for the first time since he had set a foot outside the castle in the afternoon. '_It's still cold_,' he thought when he dressed himself in several layers of clothes, before he went down to the common room to study together with his friends.

"All right, Harry, Ron; I'm going to give you a pop quiz," Hermione announced, beginning to ask them questions about potions ingredients and brewing methods to prepare her friends for the Potions test, which was going to take place on Monday, the first day of their test week.

'_Thank God; after that week we have two weeks of holidays_,' Harry mused while he rubbed his forehead hoping to get rid of the headache that had been bothering him since he returned from the Quidditch pitch.

By the time he went to bed, which was so early that Hermione and Ron exchanged a worried glance, he noticed that his throat was getting sore and his voice was slowly fading into non existence. '_Oh no; that's the worst time to catch a cold; first we have the tests and then on Friday morning the Quidditch match against Hufflepuff_,' he mused as he lay down and tried to get warm under his covers.

When Harry woke up in the morning, he felt horrible. The dull ache behind his temples that had been bothering him in the evening had proceeded to a splitting headache, his throat was so sore that he could hardly swallow, and he felt hot and cold at the same time. He dragged himself out of bed, groaning when he remembered that it was the day of the Potions test. He slowly followed his friends down to the Great Hall, gratefully noticing that they waited for him in front of the large doors leading into the Great Hall.

"Harry, don't worry so much. You'll do all right," Hermione told him in a calming voice, obviously assuming that he was being concerned about the test.

"She's right, mate; we really studied enough," Ron agreed warily.

They finally entered the hall, sitting down at the Gryffindor table. '_I should have stayed in bed a bit longer and gone straight to the dungeons_,' Harry mused while he played with his food, chasing a piece of bacon around the table.

"Harry, aren't you going to eat anything?" Hermione asked incredulously, shooting him a sharp look.

Before Harry could reply, Percy spoke up from Harry's other side. "All first years are afraid of their first tests; I know that. I felt the same at the beginning of my first test week. But you'll all do fine. What is your first test?"

"Potions," Harry groaned, feeling grateful towards the older boy, who had provided him with such an easy excuse for his lack of appetite.

HP HEALER POMFREY HP

Half an hour later, Harry was sitting in the Potions classroom, next to Draco Malfoy, where Snape had ordered him to take a seat. The questions on the paper seemed very easy, and he knew that he knew the answers, but he couldn't concentrate at all. '_Is moon fern a magical ingredient or non magical?_' he thought. '_No, maybe it depends on the season when it's harvested_.' He saw that Malfoy was scribbling quickly and had already written three parchments full, but he just couldn't convince his brain to work.

"You can clearly see, fame is not everything," the professor sneered, getting aware of Harry's struggling.

"Yes sir," Harry whispered, knowing that it hurt too much if he spoke aloud in his normal voice. Finally, he scribbled something down, but even before he handed the parchment in, he knew that he had failed the test abominably.

Unfortunately, the practical test was not better at all. Harry diligently prepared his ingredients, while he was coughing continuously. However, with the beginning of the brewing process his concentration span was at an end. After inserting the fifth ingredient, he forgot that he had to stir counter clockwise, causing the potion to hiss angrily and turn into a thickly purple mass.

Harry sighed in frustration, fiercely rubbing his aching forehead, when Professor Snape stood in front of him, vanishing the potion from his cauldron. "Pity, Potter," he said mockingly in his silky voice and excused Harry from the rest of the class.

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Harry dragged himself back to his dormitory, and by the time he arrived and let himself sink onto his bed to take a nap, he felt so horrible that he couldn't care less about the failed Potions tests.

A few hours later, he woke up to voices next to his bed. "I wonder if Harry is ill," Hermione said in concern, sitting down on the edge of his bed.

"But he looks all right; maybe he had just a bad day because of Snape's sneering all the time," Ron replied, shrugging.

Hermione worriedly placed an icy hand on Harry's forehead, nearly causing Harry to jump startled, before she announced, "He doesn't have a fever. Harry, are you all right? Can you hear me? It's time to go to the Great Hall for dinner."

'_Strange_,' Harry mused, '_I must feel quite warm considering how cold her hand felt_.' However, glad that his friends didn't notice how sick he felt, he replied, "Of course; let's go."

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At the Head table, Professor Snape turned to the Gryffindor Head of House as soon as he saw Harry and his friends enter the hall. "Minerva, I don't know what's wrong with Harry, but he failed the written test as well as the practical. I can't even give him one point for his work."

Six pairs of eyes wandered along the Gryffindor table until they spotted the boy that always seemed to be the centre of attention between his friends, playing with his food.

"Maybe he is ill?" Professor McGonagall mused aloud.

"He looks fine to me," Professor Sprout countered.

"Apart from that, his friends would have escorted him to the hospital wing, knowing how Ms. Granger behaves towards Potter and Weasley," Snape sneered, shooting a suspicious glance to Professor Quirrel.

"Well, let's just hope he'll do better in his other tests," McGonagall replied, continuing to watch the boy in concern.

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Harry felt his condition worsen daily. He even thought of speaking to his Head of House or seeking out Madam Pomfrey's help, but ten years of life at the Dursleys' had taught him that he shouldn't complain to anyone about anything, especially not about something like a simple cold, which he certainly deserved for something he had done wrongly. Moreover, everyone simply ignored his problems anyway. '_Maybe they don't even notice that I'm sick, although I'd think that they should notice, considering that I'm coughing all the time and how hoarse my voice sounds_,' Harry mused, feeling somehow relieved to be treated like he had been treated during the last ten years.

However, unbeknownst to Harry, he was the main topic of each dinner at the Head table. He had failed all his tests except for Herbology, although he had done poorly on that test too, and the theoretical and practical Transfiguration tests. "Well, he didn't fail them, but it's a huge gap to the normal quality of his work," McGonagall explained to her colleagues on Thursday evening, when all tests and classes for the week were over.

"Hopefully, he will be able to catch the Snitch tomorrow," McGonagall said on a lighter note, smirking to the Hufflepuff Head of House.

"Will Mr. Potter return home on Saturday?" Professor Flitwick asked, giving his colleagues an enquiring look.

"No, Filius. He is the only student in my house, who will remain over the holidays. In fact, Mr. Weasley and Ms. Granger had planned to keep him company, but their parents decided otherwise on a relatively short notice," McGonagall replied, wondering if Harry could be dreading to remain alone in Gryffindor. '_Well, maybe I'll get a chance to speak with him and find out what's wrong_,' she mused, while she absentmindedly finished her dessert.

"If he was one of my snakes, I would call him away from dinner, seeing that he doesn't eat anyway, and take him to my office for a small talk. I'd ask him what was wrong and present him with a detailed study schedule for the holidays, since he clearly has to do some catching up work," Professor Snape sneered, raising an eyebrow.

McGonagall sighed. "Would each of you be willing to give me an assignment for him to do during the holidays?" she asked, comprehending that Professor Snape's suggestion was the right way to handle the situation.

"Of course, Minerva," Professor Sprout was the first to reply, and her colleagues nodded their agreement.

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"Mr. Potter, please follow me into my office for a moment," Professor McGonagall addressed Harry from behind, causing the boy to jump up from his chair, startled.

"Of course, Professor," he replied astonished and tried to follow the teacher as fast as he could. '_I can't let her know that I'm sick_,' he mused. '_I just have to play in the Quidditch match tomorrow_.'

Professor McGonagall motioned Harry to a seat behind her desk, offering him a ginger biscuit, which he denied politely, before she gave him a piercing look. "Mr. Potter, can you perhaps explain to me why you failed nearly all of your tests this week?" she finally asked.

"I don't know, Professor, I'm sorry. I will try hard and study during the holidays," Harry replied wearily, fiercely rubbing his achy forehead.

"Are you feeling all right, Harry? If you're feeling unwell, you will tell me, won't you?" the teacher asked, and Harry noticed that her voice was laced with obvious concern for him.

"I'm fine," Harry countered, feeling slightly annoyed by the attention. He flinched back badly when Professor McGonagall all of a sudden laid a cold hand on his forehead, before she nodded contentedly.

"All right, Mr. Potter, then I suggest the following for the holidays. Every day after breakfast you will come to the Transfiguration classroom and do your holiday assignments, which will be issued by your teachers. You will study during the normal school hours, while I'm going to supervise you. Feel free to ask me if you have any questions. We will commence on Monday morning right after breakfast. It is essential that you catch up with your classmates."

"All right, Professor. Thanks a lot," Harry said, feeling grateful that he had something to do during the holidays instead of spending the whole day in the common room all on his own.

HP HEALER POMFREY HP

On Friday morning, Harry told his friends that he didn't want to eat breakfast and remained in bed until ten minutes before the beginning of the Quidditch match. He quickly changed into his Quidditch robes, leaving the three sweatshirts he was wearing under his robes, mounted his broom, and left through the window, heading down to the Quidditch pitch.

"You're late, Harry," Oliver Wood, the Quidditch captain admonished him sharply, causing Harry to give him an apologizing look.

"I'm sorry," Harry apologized and quickly mounted his broom again, noticing that he felt very dizzy when his feet met the ground. A few minutes later, the whole team took into the air.

'_Thank God that I put so many clothes on_,' he mused, still shivering from the cold while he began to look for the Snitch. '_Did Madam Hooch release the Snitch at all?_' he thought two hours later when he still hadn't seen the small golden ball even once. He was beginning to feel absolutely horrible and had to try hard to suppress the desire to simply lie down on his broom.

"What's wrong with Harry?" McGonagall asked worriedly four hours into the match. "I more and more get the feeling that he is physically not feeling well," she added thoughtfully.

"Let me get my wife," Snape replied and stood. "She's already on holidays since today. You know that a Mediwitch might notice things that we won't, and since Poppy is busy in the hospital wing..." He hurried away, only to return with his wife ten minutes later.

"Hello Rose; I'm glad to see you," McGonagall greeted the young lady politely.

"Hello Minerva; is everything all right?" Rose enquired, smiling.

Her husband quickly explained to her what they had been discussing a few minutes ago, and Rose proceeded to follow Harry's every move with her sharp Healer's eyes. "I'm not sure," she spoke up a few minutes later, "because he is so far away, but to me it looks as if he was wearing a glamour charm."

"A glamour charm?" McGonagall asked incredulously. "You don't believe that a first year would be able to apply a glamour charm on himself, do you?"

"If he does it unconsciously using accidental magic it is of course possible," Rose replied sternly.

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Their conversation was interrupted when Harry finally caught the Snitch. He flew down immediately, handing the struggling ball to Madam Hooch, before he stepped aside and exhaustedly sat down on the floor, where his Gryffindor House mates surrounded him in the blink of an eye.

McGonagall, Snape, and Rose made their way over to Harry, followed closely by the Headmaster. Rose unobtrusively waved her wand at Harry, before she let out a deep sigh. "He is indeed wearing a glamour charm," she explained to the teachers, while she waved her wand at the boy a few times. "He is ill," she finally stated. "I still don't know what's wrong with him, but at least he has a fever of forty degrees."

"Let's take him to the hospital wing," McGonagall replied, conjuring a stretcher, while Snape waved the Gryffindors out of their way, so that they could get through to Harry.

A few minutes later, the teachers brought a vehemently protesting Harry to the hospital wing and placed him on a bed, while Rose went to get Madam Pomfrey. "Rose!" the Healer exclaimed happily, glad to see her colleague, whom she knew very well from Rose's time at Hogwarts.

"Pneumonia," Madam Pomfrey diagnosed, "probably resulting from a not treated cold." The two Healers sat down on the edge of Harry's bed and gently talked to the child.

"Why did you place glamour charms on yourself, Harry?" Rose enquired gently, smiling at the boy.

"I didn't put anything on myself," Harry replied in annoyance.

"Yes, you did. However, it's possible that you did it unconsciously," Rose spoke again. "Have you ever been in need to hide any injuries or illnesses from others?" she questioned the child, while she used a cool cloth to gently bathe his face, which now felt hot as the glamours were taken off.

"Yes," Harry admitted in a small voice. "My relatives always told me that I deserved what I got and that I wasn't allowed to speak about it when I was feeling sick, but I didn't want everyone to notice that I wasn't well," he explained hoarsely, wondering at the same time, why he was revealing his greatest secrets to that unknown woman. But the woman somehow felt incredibly familiar, and Harry couldn't help feeling that he had to tell her the truth.

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Seeing that the Healers were peacefully communicating with Harry, McGonagall, Snape, and Dumbledore stepped over to Harry's bedside.

"Harry," Dumbledore spoke up, sighing, "seeing that you are very ill and Madam Pomfrey has to leave on holidays tomorrow, I suggest that you return to your relatives until you're back to health. I will..."

"No!" Harry shouted hoarsely, getting very upset. "Professor, please, everything, but don't send me back to my relatives. I promise that I will stay out of your way and I won't bother anyone, but please let me stay in my dormitory or anywhere." He wanted to continue his tirade, but unfortunately, his voice failed completely.

"I believe that it's time for a stern talk," all of a sudden Professor Snape spoke up. "Headmaster, so far you could convince us to believe that Harry had to stay with his Muggle relatives in order to grow up far away from the magical world. However, since he now knows the magical world, there is no reason why he can't stay with his magical relatives, is there?"

"Ah but..." Dumbledore began to reply thoughtfully.

_

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tbc..._

_I am not a native speaker of English. So please excuse my mistakes – or tell me, so that I can correct them!_

_All recognizable characters belong to J. K. Rowling, and I am not earning anything by writing this story._


	2. Chapter 2

**Harry's Strange Charms – Chapter 2**

"Ah but..." Dumbledore began to reply but was cut off by Rose Evans-Snape.

"No Headmaster, not buts. I already wanted to adopt Harry when Lily died, but you didn't allow me to do so. Pet and her horrible husband have obviously abused and malnourished Harry. It's evident that they didn't give him the love he needs. From now on, I insist that Harry stays with Severus and me, and believe me, if you don't agree, I'm going to take you to court because of child neglect and toleration of child abuse."

Everyone remained quiet, and Rose turned to Harry in a much softer voice. "Harry, my dear, I don't know if Petunia told you about me at all, but I'm your other aunt. I'm a year younger than Lily was and we grew up like twins. We were much closer to each other than Petunia was to any of us. Severus and I would like to take you in. I suggest that you stay the holidays with us, if you don't mind, and if you agree, I would like to adopt you." Turning back to Dumbledore she added, "Which was Lily's wish that you deliberately neglected, Headmaster."

"Well, I had my reasons, Rose, but you may take Harry in if you wish, provided that he agrees," the old man replied, knowing that he had been defeated by the younger people.

"Of course I want," Harry croaked wearily, uncertain if he was hallucinating or if the conversation was really taking place.

"Then we will take you home to our quarters tomorrow morning as soon as the students have gone home, sweetie," Rose said, carefully pulling the child into a bear hug.

'_But Professor Snape hates me_,' Harry mused, unsure if he should voice his thoughts. '_Maybe I'm only imagining this all because of the fever, and this Aunt Rose doesn't exist at all_.'

"Now it's time for your potions, dear," Madam Pomfrey's voice suddenly penetrated his ear and the Healer held out a few phials for him, while she shooed everyone else out of the room.

Harry felt better immediately. He sighed in relief, throwing the Healer a grateful look. "Thank you, Madam Pomfrey. I already feel much better."

"Nevertheless, you'll have to stay in bed for at least a week," she replied sternly. "However, you don't have to worry; your aunt is a Mediwitch like me and will be able to help you, especially as your Uncle Severus will be able to brew any potions you might need.

"Does she really exist, this Aunt Rose I mean? I thought maybe I was delirious."

Madam Pomfrey laughed. "No, she really exists, and she resembles your mother a lot. You'll be very happy with her and Severus."

"But Professor Snape hates me," Harry replied in exasperation.

"No Harry, he doesn't hate you. He only had to keep up appearances, but if they adopt you, he'll have to give up all the old appearances anyway. Don't worry, Harry, you'll be fine with them."

HP HEALER POMFREY HP

When Harry woke up the following morning, he noticed in relief that he felt much better than the days before. '_Did I only have a nice dream, or is Snape's wife really my aunt?_' he mused, not ready to believe his luck of having a living relative beside the Dursleys. '_I couldn't even imagine Snape to have a wife, and I've never seen her around before_.'

Suddenly, a soft voice penetrated his ear. "Good morning, Harry. How are you feeling?"

Harry lazily opened his eyes only to see the woman from the day before sitting on the edge of his bed. Her hair was red and her eyes had the same brilliant green as Harry's, exactly matching her green robes. '_She really exists_,' he thought happily.

"Are you truly my aunt?" he asked hesitantly.

Rose laughed. "Yes sweetie, I'm your Aunt Rose, and if you feel well enough, Uncle Severus and I will take you home as soon as he returns. He is still seeing off the students to Hogsmeade station."

"Where do you live?" Harry asked cautiously.

"Normally we live in Severus' quarters here in the castle; however, during the summer holidays we often spend a few weeks at Prince Manor, our second home. I'm working as a Mediwitch at St. Mungo's just like Lily did before she was killed. Professor Dumbledore already instructed the house-elves to add an additional room to our quarters, which they have prepared for you in the meantime. They have also fetched your belongings from your dormitory and brought them to your room."

"Thank you," Harry replied happily, sighing in relief when his aunt offered him some water, obviously noticing how hoarse his voice was.

Rose gently helped Harry to sit up and take small sips from a glass of water, which she held against his lips. "Better now?" she asked, carefully helping him into a horizontal position once more.

Before Harry could even reply, the doors of the hospital wing shut with a loud bang and the Potions Master strode into the room. "Are you ready?" he asked in a soft, silky voice, looking from his wife to Harry.

"I think so," Rose replied softly. "Harry seems to be much better than yesterday."

"That's good," Snape said contentedly, turning to Harry. "I will take you through the Floo with me because students are not able to use the Hogwarts internal Floo system. Are you ready?"

"The what?" Harry asked incredulously. "The flu system?"

Snape smirked, while his wife explained patiently, "The Floo system is a magical transportation system, which allows us to travel from one fireplace to another. Using the Floo we can for example travel from Madam Pomfrey's office straight into the Leaky Cauldron in Diagon Alley. Normally, you have to throw Floo powder into a fireplace and shout the name of the fireplace where you want to go; however, within Hogwarts we don't need any powder but can just shout the name of our aim. That's how I go to work every day. I just get into the fireplace in our quarters and get off at the hospital. It takes me less than a minute. You'll see; it might be a bit uncomfortable the first time, but you'll get used to it."

"All right," Harry replied wearily, shivering unconsciously when the Potions professor gently picked him up and carried him into Madam Pomfrey's office.

"Maybe you should close your eyes the first time. Otherwise you might become very dizzy," the teacher warned him in his soft, silky voice, while he stepped into the fireplace, and Harry obediently followed his advice.

Even with his eyes firmly shut he felt the world turn around and only opened his eyes again when he noticed that the movement had stopped and the professor stepped out of the fireplace where they had arrived. Snape put him down on a sofa right in front of the fireplace, and Harry looked around curiously. He found himself in a large round room with huge bookshelves covering the stone walls. Between the bookshelves were tall windows that made the room look very light. In front of the huge fireplace was a group of sofas and comfortable looking chairs surrounding a round table in the same light colour as the bookshelves. '_Is this room in the dungeons?_' Harry wondered, astonished how bright it was. The windows were obviously charmed since they all allowed the view onto the Quidditch pitch or the lake.

"Harry, would you like to rest here on the sofa, or do you want to sleep in your bed?" his aunt asked softly, causing Harry to turn around to where the woman had just stepped out of the fireplace.

"I'm not tired," he mumbled unsurely. '_What am I supposed to do?_' he mused. '_I don't want to be in their way_.'

"Well, then lie down here on the sofa," Aunt Rose replied firmly and gently helped Harry to lie down, before she covered him with a warm blanket that her husband had obviously summoned from somewhere.

"Won't I be in your way?" Harry asked hesitantly, looking from his aunt to the teacher.

"Harry, I don't know what your former so-called family told you, but if you're going to live with us, this will be your home, and you won't ever be in the way in your own home," the Potions Master told him sternly.

"Exactly," Aunt Rose agreed, gently bathing Harry's flushed face with a cool cloth.

"Probably, there will be many things concerning normal family life, which we have to speak about," the teacher went on, "however, considering your current condition we will do that slowly and when the need arises. There will be some rules, which we expect you to obey, but we'll speak about these things when you feel better."

'_Well, it can only be better than at the Dursleys_,' Harry mused, feeling extremely happy.

"If you have any questions, Harry, don't hesitate to ask either Severus or me. One of us will always be there for you," Rose promised softly and adjusted the cold cloth to his forehead. "I suggest that you try to rest for a while."

Harry didn't have to be told that twice. Mere seconds later, he drifted off into a most needed sleep.

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When Harry woke up a few hours later, he saw the two adults sit on the opposite side of the room, talking to each other.

"I'll tell you now, Rose; the boy is an absolute dunderhead. He's not worth that we take him in," Professor Snape sneered, putting his arm around his wife's back at the same time.

"But you know that he's Lily's child and I owe it to her," Rose replied, sounding very annoyed.

The professor let out a huge sigh. "Don't forget that it means to be stuck with the attention seeking brat for the whole summer holidays."

"Well, at least you managed to convince Dumbledore and the other teachers that we wanted nothing more than to take the brat in."

"I know that I'm brilliant in such things," the professor smirked.

By then, Harry had heard enough. He stood up from the sofa, holding on to it to fight the dizziness that instantly overcame him and dragged himself to the door. "Don't worry, you don't have to take me in, Professor Snape. You'll never see me again." With that, he opened the door and took a step outside, before he felt his vision fail and blackness overcame him.

_

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tbc..._

_I am not a native speaker of English. So please excuse my mistakes – or tell me, so that I can correct them!_

_All recognizable characters belong to __J. K. Rowling__, and I am not earning anything by writing this story._


	3. Chapter 3

**Harry's Strange Charms – Chapter 3**

"Harry!" Rose's voice suddenly penetrated his ear, causing Harry to stiffen. "Where do you think you're going, sweetie?"

"Don't call me that. I heard everything," Harry croaked, feverishly trying to bite back the tears that threatened to leak down from the corners of his eyes any instant.

Rose gave him a sharp look. "Harry, what's wrong? What do you think you heard?"

"I heard you and the Professor talk over there on the sofa when I woke up," Harry replied, unable to hold back the tears anymore.

His aunt worriedly placed a cool hand on his forehead. "Harry, please lie down again. You seem to be delirious with a very high fever. I suppose that you saw a fevered dream, which you took for real. Let me call Severus. He has been in his private lab for hours now, but I think you should tell both of us about your dream." She gently helped Harry back on the sofa, carefully tucking him in, before she went to call her husband.

"Give me five minutes, and I'll be there," Severus promised and continued his brewing process until he reached a stage, at which he could put the potion under a stasis charm.

In the meantime, Rose checked on Harry and proceeded to spell a few potions straight into his stomach, causing him to sigh in relief. "Thank you, Aunt Rose," he croaked hesitantly.

"You're welcome, Harry," she replied softly, throwing the child a brilliant smile from her fascinating green eyes.

"You look so different from Aunt Petunia," Harry all of a sudden heard himself say. "Did my Mum look more than you or like her?"

"Aunt Rose and your mother looked so much alike that I even sometimes managed to get confused when we were at school, although I was the one, who knew both of them best, because we grew up together," the Potions professor answered Harry's question, while he took a seat on the chair next to Harry's sofa.

"We were living in the same neighbourhood, Harry," Aunt Rose supplied, "and we always played together on the playground. In fact, Uncle Severus was the one, who alerted Lily and me to the fact that we could do magic, which didn't go well with Petunia as you can imagine. Now, can you tell us about your dream, sweetie?"

Harry sighed. '_Did I really hear that conversation?_' he mused, suddenly feeling uncertain about the matter.

"Tell us, Harry. I promise we won't use you as potions ingredients right now," Professor Snape promised, smirking.

"Well, I woke up and saw both of you sitting on the sofa over there..." Harry hesitantly told them what he had heard.

"Oh Harry," Rose said in exasperation, softly stroking his flushed cheeks. "You were delirious. You know that we took you in because we love you and that we'd never even think such things, don't you?"

"No, he doesn't know," Severus threw in. "He has been abused by your insufferable sister and her family all his life. How can he know?" He turned to Harry, "Please believe what your aunt just told you. We wouldn't have insisted on taking you in, if we didn't want you to be a part of our family. At the moment, I can only give you my word, but I believe that you'll understand what a real family is like over the next weeks or months. Will you give us a chance?"

"All right," Harry whispered, feeling slightly consoled. "Thanks."

Rose quickly pointed her wand at Harry's head, muttering something, before she said aloud, "Severus, your new potion seems to be brilliant. Harry's condition has already improved very much. Harry, do you feel well enough to join us for dinner? I know that you're probably not hungry, but you have to eat something considering that you only had nutrient potions for breakfast and lunch."

"Kay," Harry mumbled, feeling grateful when his aunt steadied him as she led him to a small and cosy dining kitchen. It was very bright due to a large window covering the whole wall opposite the door. Like most of the windows in the living room, it showed the lake.

Rose laughed seeing that Harry was looking at the window in awe. "That's a magical window, Harry, just like those in the living room. However, this one is special. If you tap it with your wand saying a place within Hogwarts, it will show you the place."

"Harry!" Severus' stern voice interrupted Rose's explanation. "You have to keep quiet about this. There are only two such windows within the castle, one in the Headmaster's private quarters and one in mine. Nobody except for Professor McGonagall and Madam Pomfrey know about it and it has to remain like that. Do you understand me?"

"Yes sir," Harry replied firmly, interestingly watching what his aunt was demonstrating.

Rose tapped her wand against the window, muttering, "Gryffindor common room."

The view instantly changed from the one of the lake to the Gryffindor common room. Harry could see four strange creatures with huge ears mending the sofa in the common room, complaining to each other about the Weasley twins, who had obviously destroyed part of the sofa in such a form that it couldn't be easily mended with magic.

"What are these... creatures?" Harry asked astonished. '_I've never seen such things before_,' he mused.

"These are house-elves, Harry. There are more than two hundred of them working within the castle," Rose explained gently. "They cook our food, wash the clothing, and clean the whole castle. Most of them are bond to the Headmaster."

"I've never seen one of them," Harry replied amazed. "They look funny."

"Normally, they do everything at night while everyone is asleep, so that they won't be seen. The only exceptions are the kitchen elves, who work in the kitchen during the day."

"Perhaps we should show Harry the kitchen; it'll be very impressive," Severus smirked.

"We'll do that as soon as he is back to health," Rose promised, "but now let's have dinner." She tapped the table twice with her wand and dinner appeared.

Harry let out a gasp seeing the load of food that had appeared on the table. "Um... are you awaiting guests?" he asked in confusion.

Rose and Severus laughed. "No Harry, but the house elves always outdo themselves. They always prepare too much, especially during the holidays when the students are absent and they are clearly bored," the Potions Master explained, while his wife spooned a bit of everything on their plates.

After dinner, Rose and Severus escorted Harry to his room, which was the first room on the left side of a short hall, just next to the living room. Rose motioned him to sit on the bed, and Harry gladly obeyed, looking around in complete amazement. The room had about twice the size of Dudley's second bedroom at the Dursleys' and was held in white and blue. It was furnished with a wardrobe, a desk with two chairs, a huge bookshelf, and a four poster bed, which felt very comfortable.

"Do you like your new room, Harry?" Rose enquired softly, causing Harry to look at his aunt with wide open eyes.

"Like it?" he repeated incredulously. "It's absolutely fantastic. I never had an own room before, well, except for my cupboard, but that only had about the size of the bed here," Harry mused aloud, before he slowly trailed off.

"Your cupboard?" the professor asked in a dangerously quiet voice.

"Yes, where I lived until my first Hogwarts letter arrived, which was addressed to the cupboard under the stairs. After that I was allowed to use Dudley's second bedroom until I came to Hogwarts."

"I believe that I should pay your sister a visit, love," Severus turned to Rose, who was watching Harry with an exasperated expression.

Rose frowned. "Severus, please don't forget that Harry and I need you here and not in Azkaban. On the other hand, we have to receive their signatures on the guardianship parchments, so that we have to visit them anyway, and since we can't take Harry nor let him alone while he is so ill, maybe you should go alone to get their signatures," she said thoughtfully, "provided that you don't do anything that would bring you to Azkaban."

Severus gently laid an arm around his wife's shoulders. "Don't worry, love; I wouldn't do such a thing. I promise. However, I will teach them a lesson." Turning to Harry he asked, "Harry, yesterday you told us that you wanted us to become your guardians instead of the Dursleys. I just want to ask you once more, if you're sure about it. Otherwise, we'll wait until you feel ready to make the decision."

'_They are so much nicer than the Dursleys, and I'm going to live here at Hogwarts with them_,' Harry mused. '_But how do you know that they aren't just pretending?_' a voice in the back of his mind spoke up. '_Well, I believe them. Probably I was delirious when I woke up in the afternoon_,' he decided, before he firmly replied, "I'm sure, sir."

"You don't have to call me 'sir' in private, Harry, only in class or in front of other students. You may call me 'Uncle Severus' or if it reminds you too much of your other uncle, just 'Severus' will do fine. By the way, do you have any belongings at the Dursleys, which you want me to retrieve so that you don't have to go there again if you don't want to?"

"No, uh...Uncle Severus," Harry replied softly. "I don't have anything there."

"All right; then I'll go right away," Severus decided.

"Sev, be careful please; and don't forget the guardianship papers; they are on your desk in the office," Rose replied gently, throwing him a worried glance when he left the room.

"Aunt Rose?" Harry's hoarse voice pulled her out of her reverie. "He won't do anything bad to Aunt Petunia, will he? I don't want them to suffer because of me. I mean they raised me in spite of hating me, and they didn't put me in an orphanage or such."

Rose sat next to Harry on the edge of his bed. "You're such a sweetie, Harry," she smiled, gently putting an arm around his shoulders. "Well, I'm sure he'll give them something to think about, but at least he promised not to kill them. Now, it's time for you to go to bed, Harry." Seeing that Harry didn't look convinced yet, she added, "Don't worry, Harry. Severus is a good man. He won't do anything to my sister that she didn't earn."

_

* * *

tbc..._

_I am not a native speaker of English. So please excuse my mistakes – or tell me, so that I can correct them!_

_All recognizable characters belong to __J. K. Rowling__, and I am not earning anything by writing this story._


	4. Chapter 4

**Harry's Strange Charms – Chapter 4**

Rose made Harry lie down and checked on him before she gently tucked him in, causing Harry's expression to change to a huge smile. '_Nobody has ever tucked me in except for Madam Pomfrey_,' he mused, suddenly feeling very happy.

"Thank you, Aunt Rose; I'm very happy to be here," he mumbled gratefully.

"We're very glad to finally have you with us, Harry," Rose replied softly.

All of a sudden, the fireplace flared announcing Professor McGonagall. "Please excuse me, sweetie," Rose told the child, placing a kiss on his forehead, before she went out into the living room to answer the fire call.

Two minutes later, his Head of House's voice penetrated Harry's ears. "Hello Rose; I just wanted to see if everything was all right with Harry."

"He is much better. Over the last few months, Severus has developed a new potion for lung infections, and he spent the whole night finishing his final tests, so that we could give it to Harry in the morning. It seems to work wonders. Around lunchtime he was still delirious, but after the second dose of the potion his fever came down a bit. He even managed to join us in the kitchen for dinner and eat a few bites, which would have been impossible with the normal potion."

"That's a huge success," Professor McGonagall acknowledged. "So, Severus is taking a nap right now?"

Rose laughed. "Oh Minerva, have you ever seen Sev napping during the day? No, he went to the Dursleys in order to receive their signature on the guardianship papers."

Harry could hear his teacher let out a huge gasp. "Rose, do you think it was wise to let him go there alone? Who knows what he's going to do to them? Well, it's out of question that they earned it, but..." McGonagall interrupted herself when the fireplace flared again and the Potions Master stepped out, smirking.

"Good evening, Minerva," Severus' silky voice penetrated Harry's ears.

"Severus, tell me what you have done to them this instant," Rose said sternly, after throwing a look into her husband's face.

Severus sat down next to his wife on the sofa, grinning. "You know, everything I'll tell you now has to remain a secret of course..." He took a sip of his tea before he continued, ignoring the fact that his colleague was rolling her eyes, "Well, over the last few years I developed a time travel potion, which was just finished for travel into the past except for a few tests and the antidote to travel back into the future."

Harry, who had been listening to the teachers' conversation the whole time, became so excited that he couldn't resist the urge to get up and head over into the living room. "Excuse me," he began hesitantly and smiled in relief when Rose and Severus motioned him to sit down on the sofa between them. He hesitantly sat down and felt himself being pulled into his aunt's arms.

"I only had to insert a bit of unicorn hair, one mm for one year, which I did, before I left for the Dursleys. I also made a copy of the recipe, which I charmed, so that only one person will be able to read it. I handed a letter addressed to that person and the copy of the recipe over to Petunia, before I took them to Hogsmeade with a Portkey and spelled the potions into their stomachs."

He paused for a moment, looking around in expectation.

"So they are in Hogsmeade at some time in the past and have to seek out a certain wizard or witch to ask them to brew the potion for them, which will take them back?" Rose asked incredulously.

"Correct," Severus smirked.

"Are you sure that they arrived exactly at that time?"

"I hope so."

"Do we by chance know said person?" McGonagall asked, throwing her younger colleague a suspicious look.

"Well, you know his name, but I don't think that you've met him yet," Severus replied with a very contented look on his face.

"Oh no!" Harry suddenly groaned. "Let me guess. It's Salazar Slytherin, isn't it?"

"Exactly, Harry. Five points to Gryffindor for your knowledge about the most famous Potions Master of the past," Severus commended the child, causing McGonagall to snort.

"Well, I sent them back into the year 991 – exactly one thousand years into the past. Since they are Muggles, they won't be able to see Hogwarts; all right, Petunia is not a Muggle but a Squib, so she will probably be able to see it, but anyway, I know for a fact that Hogsmeade already existed as a magical village at that time, and I told them to ask in the village for Salazar Slytherin of Hogwarts in case they couldn't find the castle. It's up to them if they ask a wizard for help or if they change their life style completely to that of the tenth century."

The two ladies were speechless, while Harry mused aloud, "I'm not sure, which solution they're going to choose. Both seem equally horrible to them." Suddenly, he gave the professor a concerned look. "Won't people wonder where they are? Are you sure that no one saw you when you visited them, Uncle Severus?"

"I put an invisibility charm on me, Harry; nobody saw me except for the Dursleys," Severus replied softly.

"Well, that was certainly a special way to teach them a lesson," Professor McGonagall spoke up, looking at the younger teacher in amazement. "Well done, Severus."

"Um... are you then my guardians now?" Harry asked hesitantly. "Can't the Ministry say 'No'?"

"Theoretically they could; however with Professor Dumbledore's support and due to the fact that Aunt Rose is your closest relative apart from Petunia Dursley, whom we could take to court because of child neglect, I'm sure that they will agree. In case they make any problems, I'm sure that I have many colleagues, who would be willing to gain the temporary guardianship over you at any time," Severus explained patiently.

"Of course," Professor McGonagall agreed, throwing Harry a sympathetic look. "Each of the teachers here would take you in, well maybe except for Professors Binns and Trelawney..."

"Trelawney?" Harry asked in confusion.

"Our Divinations teacher, Harry," Minerva explained quickly. "You'll probably meet her at Christmas dinner, provided that you'll be able to attend."

Severus let out a snort, and the Gryffindor Head of House continued, "The only problem until now was Professor Dumbledore, because he insisted that you had to remain with the Dursleys. He even forbade us to check on you."

Noticing that Harry was drifting off to sleep in his aunt's arms, Severus carefully scooped him up and carried him back into his bed, gently tucking him in.

HP HEALER POMFREY HP

When Harry woke up the following morning, his aunt was sitting on the edge of his bed, reading a book. "Good morning, Aunt Rose," he said anxiously, musing worriedly, '_Did I sleep too long?_'

"Good morning, Harry; how are you feeling today?" Rose replied, smiling at the child.

"Fine," Harry told her, realizing that he felt much better.

"Well, honestly speaking, I already spelled your potions into your stomach, and in fact you're still not as well as you might feel," Rose admitted, "but if you feel up to it, you may get up and join us in the kitchen for breakfast.

Ten minutes later, the small family was having breakfast in their cosy kitchen, which Harry liked a lot. '_I love this kitchen; it's really comfy here_,' he mused happily.

Seeing that he looked curiously at the charmed window, Severus smirked. "Is there anything you'd like to see, Harry?"

Harry threw the teacher a surprised look. "Can you watch anything at Hogwarts?" he enquired, when suddenly a thought crossed his mind. "That's why you always catch students when they're out of bed during the night, isn't it? You're famous for that."

"Of course it is. He often sits in the kitchen grading papers when I'm at work in the evening, or if I'm here we have our tea here after curfew and watch the halls, especially the one in front of the Gryffindor common room," Rose laughed.

"Can you look into the other teachers' offices like Professor McGonagall's for example?" Harry asked hesitantly.

"We can, but we respect the privacy of the staff and never look into the other teachers' offices or quarters, and you mustn't do that either. Can you promise that you'll never do such a thing, Harry?"

"Yes of course, sir," Harry replied automatically, startled by the sudden change in Severus' voice to a very stern one. "I promise."

HP HEALER POMFREY HP

After breakfast, Rose suggested that Harry should rest on the sofa in the living room like the day before, and Harry spent much of the day asleep. However, when he was awake, Rose and Severus took turns staying with him.

"Harry, would you like to watch some photographs of your mother?" Rose asked softly. Seeing that Harry nodded eagerly, she placed a photo album on his lap containing childhood photos of Lily, Petunia and herself.

Harry looked through the book several times in complete amazement, before he asked softly, "Aunt Rose, do you also have photos of your time at Hogwarts?"

"Yes, sweetie, but I'll show them to you another time. It's already lunchtime, and Uncle Severus should be done in the lab in a few minutes. At least I hope so," she added, rolling her eyes at the closed door of Severus' private lab.

"Thanks a lot for showing me these photos," Harry said in a small voice, feeling extremely grateful towards his aunt. "It means a lot to me."

HP HEALER POMFREY HP

In the afternoon, Rose was called to an emergency at St. Mungo's in spite of being on holidays, and Severus proceeded to keep Harry company.

"Harry, do you know how to play wizard's chess?" he asked, placing a chess set on the table.

Harry sat up excitedly. "Yes, Uncle Severus. Ron taught me how to play, but we only played a few times so far, and I'm not good. Can we play?"

They played several games, and Harry noticed that Severus was an excellent teacher. '_Wait, Ron, until we play the next time. If I practise with Uncle Severus a few more times, I might be able to beat you_,' he mused when Severus finally put the chess set away.

HP HEALER POMFREY HP

When Harry woke up the following morning, he noticed that Aunt Rose obviously hadn't given him his potions yet. '_Am I supposed to wait for her, or can I just get up and head to the living room?_' he pondered, finally deciding to get up in order to get a look out of the windows in the living room.

However, when he entered the living room, his eyes widened and he instinctively turned back to his room.

_

* * *

tbc..._

_I am not a native speaker of English. So please excuse my mistakes – or tell me, so that I can correct them!_

_All recognizable characters belong to __J. K. Rowling__, and I am not earning anything by writing this story._


	5. Chapter 5

**Harry's Strange Charms – Chapter 5**

_Note: The 'chocolate edition' is taken from the story "Harry and the Stubborn old Headmaster," written by teddylonglong (my other user name). _

* * *

"Harry, what's wrong?" Rose's voice suddenly penetrated his ear.

"Sorry, I just thought..." Harry slowly trailed off. '_They won't want me to disturb them in their room on Christmas_,' he mused, ignoring the feeling of hope that tried to override all the memories of the Dursleys in his mind.

"Go on, Harry; let's sit on the sofa and have a look at our presents, won't we?"

"Presents?" Harry enquired with a hint of panic in his eyes, only to add in a hardly audible voice, "I... err... I don't get Christmas presents."

Rose let out a groan, pulling Harry in a bear hug. "Don't tell me the Dursleys never gave you a Christmas present."

"They told me that I wouldn't get Christmas presents because I wasn't a good boy. I've never received anything for Christmas, or for my birthday."

"Then you're in for a nice surprise, sweetie," Rose promised, pulling Harry into the living room. "Sit down on the sofa and let me check on you and give you the potions first though. You must feel horrible with the fever you're still running."

"Kay," Harry mumbled absentmindedly, looking at the Christmas tree in awe. It was decorated beautifully with small golden stars that were flying around the tree, twinkling happily.

While Rose was checking on Harry, Severus entered the room. "Good morning, Harry, and a happy Christmas," he said gently, lighting the candles on the tree with a flick of his wand.

"Good morning and a happy Christmas to you too, Uncle Severus," Harry replied, grimacing at the taste of his potions.

"Now, Harry, since you're the youngest, I believe that it's your job to look under the tree for presents," Severus told him, smirking.

"Really?" Harry asked excitedly, jumping up from the sofa when Rose and Severus threw him encouraging smiles.

Harry received many presents like a handmade sweater from Mrs. Weasley, a book from Hermione, and chocolate frogs from Ron. He also found an invisibility cloak in one of the packages, causing Rose and Severus to groan.

"What is Albus thinking?" Severus looked at his wife with an upset expression, before he turned to Harry. "Harry, please promise that you won't use it to put yourself into danger or to do anything stupid."

"All right," Harry replied, laughing.

"Your father did a lot of mischief with this cloak, which was mostly directed against the Slytherins like Uncle Severus; therefore, his opinion about your cloak isn't the best, sweetie," Rose explained gently to the child.

"Ah, okay," Harry said, frowning. "I understand that, and I promise that I won't use it to play pranks against other students."

"Very well Harry," Severus spoke up, giving his new ward an appraising look.

From Severus, Harry received a book, '_Easy Potions for Fun_.' Harry's eyes widened when he saw the title, and he threw the professor a questioning look.

Severus smirked. "Knowing that not only your aunt, but also your mother was very adept at Potions when we were at school, I believe that you should be able to brew much better than you did in class so far. Therefore, I'd like to teach you privately, if you don't mind, and I thought this book would be a good start. It mostly contains potions recipes for sweets like fruit drops and chocolate candies."

Harry chuckled. "That sounds interesting. Thanks a lot, Uncle Severus."

From Rose, he received a wizard's chess set in a chocolate edition. "Chocolate edition?" Harry asked, throwing his aunt a questioning glance.

"The figures consist of chocolate, which you may eat after a figure is beaten. Even if you eat all of the figures, they will be whole again as soon as you start a new game," Severus beat her with his explanation.

"Wow, that's cool!" Harry exclaimed, "Wait until I show that to Ron. Uncle Severus, can we play really often during these holidays, please?"

"Of course we can do that if you wish, although I also hope that we'll be able to do some brewing together once you're completely recovered," the man replied, smirking.

"I'd like that," Harry replied eagerly. '_It must be like this to have a real family_,' he mused, feeling very happy on his first Christmas ever.

HP HEALER POMFREY HP

After unwrapping his last present, Harry lay back on the sofa and tiredly closed his eyes, unaware of the concerned looks Rose and Severus exchanged. He spent the whole afternoon asleep and only woke up when Fawkes flashed into the room and trilled a happy sounding melody after Severus had taken a parchment off his beak.

"Oh, this is the confirmation of the guardianship. Now we are officially Harry's guardians," the teacher explained.

"Really?" Harry whispered, his voice laced with hope, while he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes.

Rose sat down on the edge of the sofa, worriedly feeling his forehead. "Harry, how are you feeling?" she asked softly.

"Fine," Harry mumbled lazily, slowly turning his eyes to his aunt.

"Harry, if Aunt Rose asks you something, she wants you to give her an honest answer," Severus immediately rebuked him sternly. "Even from here I can see that you're clearly not fine."

"I'm sorry," Harry whispered, averting his eyes to the floor, while Rose waved her wand at him.

"Well, your lung is continuing to improve, but your fever is a degree higher than yesterday and you seem to have a bad headache," Rose stated, before she turned to her husband. "I believe that we have a problem with his general system. It's only a suspicion yet, but my sister's neglect of his health could have damaged his immune system. I'll have to watch Harry closely over the next time."

Seeing that Harry gave her a terrified look, she gently stroked his flushed cheeks and said soothingly, "Harry, whatever it is, we'll be able to handle it; don't worry, you're not alone with this."

"All right; thanks," Harry whispered, hesitantly taking his aunt's hand into his own.

"Now Harry, are you feeling well enough to attend Christmas dinner in the Great Hall?" Severus asked gently. "If not, we're going to stay here and eat dinner in the kitchen."

"It's all right, Uncle Severus; your potions really helped, and Professor Dumbledore probably expects you in the Great Hall, doesn't he?" Harry asked hesitantly.

"We don't care what the Headmaster expects; your health is more important, Harry," Rose replied in her soft voice that felt somehow familiar to Harry.

HP HEALER POMFREY HP

An hour later, the small family entered the Great Hall just in time for Christmas dinner. The Headmaster and his colleagues, who had remained in the castle over the holidays, greeted them enthusiastically.

"Hello my boy, how're you faring?" the Headmaster addressed Harry. "I saw that you have new guardians now. Congratulations!"

"Thank you, Professor," Harry replied politely, smiling at his new guardians. "It's great to have a real family," he muttered in a small voice, unaware of the fact that his new guardian had very sensitive ears.

"Albus, Harry had his first Christmas today and received his first Christmas presents since his parents died," the Potions Master spoke up in a dangerously quiet voice.

"Congratulations, Harry. I'm very glad that everything worked out so well," Professor McGonagall said gently, throwing the boy a warm smile.

"Thanks Professor. I'm very happy too," Harry replied smiling.

However, Professor Snape wasn't finished yet. "My wife noticed that he is obviously having health problems because of the neglect by his other aunt," he told the Headmaster in a slightly reproachful tone.

"Healer Evans-Snape, do you think you could join me in my office tomorrow morning after breakfast for a discussion? I'd like to suggest something to you, which has not directly to do with Harry," Dumbledore all of a sudden addressed Rose.

"Yes of course, Headmaster," the Mediwitch replied politely, throwing the old man an enquiring look.

Before the Headmaster could say anything more, everyone's attention was drawn to the other end of the Great Hall, from where all of a sudden a loud sound together with a swearing could be heard.

_

* * *

tbc..._

_I am not a native speaker of English. So please excuse my mistakes – or tell me, so that I can correct them!_

_All recognizable characters belong to __J. K. Rowling__, and I am not earning anything by writing this story._


	6. Chapter 6

**Harry's Strange Charms – Chapter 6**

When everyone averted their eyes to the origin of the sound, they saw a figure clothed in strange robes sitting on the floor near the doors. The man stood up, looking around curiously, before he noticed the people sitting at the Head table. He slowly stepped over, greeting them in a deep voice, "Good evening."

"Good evening to you too, sir," Professor Dumbledore replied gently, while he stood up and walked around the table to meet the man, one hand in his robe pocket, firmly gripping his wand.

"I am in search of a certain Severus Snape, the Slytherin Head of House," the man said, throwing Dumbledore an evaluating look.

"Professor Slytherin!" the Potions Master all of a sudden gasped, hurriedly leaving his seat to step over to the Founder.

"Oh, please excuse my impoliteness. Yes, I'm Salazar Slytherin, one of the Founders of this castle."

"Albus Dumbledore, the Headmaster," Dumbledore introduced himself, before he introduced his Potions professor.

"Severus Snape was so kind as to invite me here, and I'd like to enjoy your hospitality for a few weeks to do some Potions research together with him," the Founder explained, causing everyone present to look at him in awe.

"Please take a seat, Professor," Severus replied. "We are just having Christmas dinner."

Slytherin sat down on a chair, which the house-elves had put between Severus' and Harry's chairs, and everyone looked at the Founder in amazement.

"These are my wife Rose and my son Harry," Severus began to introduce everyone, "the lady on your other side is Minerva McGonagall, our Deputy Headmistress, Gryffindor Head of House and Transfiguration teacher; next to my wife are Pomona Sprout, Hufflepuff Head of House and Herbology teacher, and Filius Flitwick, Ravenclaw Head of House and Charms teacher. Over there are Professors Quirrel, our Defence against the Dark Arts teacher, and Trelawney, our Divination teacher. All the others have gone home over the holidays."

"Excuse me, Professor," Harry hesitantly threw in, "Can you tell me what happened to my relatives, the Dursleys? Are they still in your time, or did you send them back to the future?"

Salazar let out a sigh. "Well, if they are your relatives, I don't have to tell you much about them. They are still at Hogwarts in my time, and they'll have to stay for at least four months."

"Why is that?" Rose enquired curiously.

Salazar shook his head in exasperation at the thought of Vernon Dursley. "Well, obviously Petunia and her whale of a son were able to see Hogwarts and tried to make Vernon follow them up to the castle. However, according to Petunia, he wasn't willing to go to a 'school of freaks' and strode away right into the forest, not aware of the fact how dangerous the forest is and that it was the night of the full moon."

A huge gasp coming from all sides interrupted the explanation.

Harry used the opportunity to whisper to Rose, "What is so special with the night of the full moon?"

"Have you ever heard of werewolves, Harry?" Rose enquired.

"No," Harry said shyly.

"Werewolves are normal people, who transform into wolves during the full moon. They are very dangerous because they eat every living being they meet, and even if someone survived the attack, he or she would turn into a werewolf too after being bitten by the wolf."

Harry threw his aunt a horrified look. "Please tell me that my uncle is still alive, Professor Slytherin," he begged the older man to his left, causing the Founder to continue his story.

"Well, Petunia waited until the morning, before she pulled her son up to the castle to search me and give me Severus' letter. We then sent out a search troop for Vernon and found him in quite a bad condition. He was bitten at least twenty times. My friend Helga, who is our Healer at Hogwarts, is looking after him in the hospital roon, and during the first week, while he was unconscious, she could do a great job on him with her magic. However, since he has woken up, he won't allow Helga to do any magic, so that she can't give him any potions and can only use healing spells when he is asleep."

"Can't she spell the potions straight into his stomach?" Rose asked confused.

"Spell the potions straight into his stomach?" Salazar repeated in obvious amazement. "Do you have such a spell?"

Rose laughed. "Yes, we have, and it will be my pleasure to teach it to you."

"I'm sure my friend will appreciate it very much; thank you," Salazar replied, before he continued, "As soon as I'm back I'll brew the wolves cure for him, but as you surely know, Severus, it takes two months to brew, so that he'll have to transform at least three times until we'll be able to heal him. However, we have another problem, which was the reason for me to come here before even brewing the cure for the man..."

"Wait a moment, please. The WOLVES CURE?" Severus asked alerted. "You have a potion to cure werewolves?"

"Yes, of course my boy; I invented the cure a few years ago. I thought you knew that."

"I believe that many valuable potions, spells and charms have been lost over the ages," Dumbledore jumped into the conversation, "and we would be very pleased to have you here to teach us for a while."

"Yes yes, I'll do that," Salazar replied impatiently. "Concerning the potions, however, you can look everything up in my private library. I will grant you full access to it, Severus."

Harry noticed amazed how the Potions Master's dark eyes began to twinkle happily. However, before he could even think of an answer, Salazar spoke again. "Unfortunately, Vernon caught moon fern fever in the forest and infected Petunia and Helga with it, because Helga only realized after a few days what it was. Since we don't have a cure against moon fern fever, I came to ask if you have a cure against it."

"Yes, we have a simple potion for it. It's easy to treat; however, if it remains untreated, it can become deadly," Severus explained firmly. "Seeing that everyone has finished his dinner, shall we continue our conversation in my quarters, Salazar? We can begin to take notes straight away."

The Founder agreed, and Dumbledore, McGonagall, Flitwick, and Sprout followed Severus' family and the Founder into the Snape quarters, curious to listen in further on the Potions Masters' conversation.

"Excuse me, Salazar, you told us that Petunia and Dudley were able to see Hogwarts," Rose spoke up, stroking Harry's cheeks, who was curled up on the sofa with his head on his aunt's lap, already half asleep.

"Yes, that's correct," Salazar replied. "Petunia is obviously a Squib, while Dudley has a magical power of three percent, which makes him slightly more a magical person than a Squib."

The adults talked until late in the evening. "Salazar, do you want to accompany me to my guest quarters or where do you intend to stay?" the Headmaster finally asked.

"Oh, I have my own quarters here within the castle," Salazar explained. "It's at the nearest point to the lake, although the entrance is on the seventh floor. There is a second entrance on the first floor, but it's only accessible to people, who speak Parseltongue, and it leads into the cellar. Does any of you know if my familiar, Amaterasu, is still alive? She's a huge basilisk, living in the cellar of my quarters."

"A basilisk?" the older teachers gasped simultaneously. "Is that the monster, which is said to live in the Chamber of Secrets?" Minerva asked sternly. "It killed a student fifty years ago."

"Ah but Amatersu wouldn't kill anyone with his eyes if she wasn't told to do so. There must have been a bad Parselmouth telling her to kill someone; otherwise she'd have never done that."

"But she doesn't have to do anything, does he?" Albus enquired. "If you look into a basilisk's yellow eyes, you'll die without her doing anything."

"That's right; however, the basilisk's eyes are normally green. Only if they turn to yellow, they become dangerous. Well, I believe it's time for me to retire; Severus, may I intrude again tomorrow?"

"Of course, Salazar. Since our son is ill, we'll probably have breakfast here in our quarters. Would you like to join us here for breakfast at eight o'clock?"

"I'll be here at eight in the morning. Thanks a lot; good night everyone."

With that, Salazar and all the other teachers left to head back to their own quarters. "Don't forget to come to see me after breakfast, Rose," the Headmaster reminded Harry's aunt before he followed the others out into the cold of the dungeons.

_

* * *

tbc..._

_I am not a native speaker of English. So please excuse my mistakes – or tell me, so that I can correct them!_

_All recognizable characters belong to __J. K. Rowling__, and I am not earning anything by writing this story._


	7. Chapter 7

**Harry's Strange Charms – Chapter 7**

_Harry was walking back from Hagrid's hut to the castle, wondering how it could have become so dark while he was at Hagrid's. 'Well, it was interesting to listen to him,' he mused when he all of a sudden saw from the corner of his eyes that a figure came running out of the forest, heading over straight to him. An instant later, the figure had reached him and Harry noticed that it was a large wolf. He quickly pulled his wand, the levitating charm on his lips, when the wolf suddenly spoke to him in a human voice._

"_You freak; you've destroyed my family with your abnormal freakishness, but you'll see I'll get back to you," the wolf threatened, running his large head into Harry's body, causing him to fall to the ground and hit his head._

"No Uncle, please don't; I'll do anything you want," Harry shouted in utter desperation, not noticing the kind voices that were trying to wake him up.

HP HEALER POMFREY HP

Rose and Severus woke up by Harry's moaning and hurried over into the child's room, only to see that he was backed up against the wall, obviously captured in a nightmare. They called his name and tried to wake him up, horrified when he all of a sudden began to beg his uncle to leave him in peace.

"Enervate," Rose finally cast a spell, causing Harry to stir.

Seconds later, the child lazily opened his eyes, looking at his new parents with wide open eyes. "I'm sorry," he breathed with a terrified expression on his face.

"You don't have anything to be sorry for," Rose explained softly. "It's not your fault that you had a nightmare."

"Harry, you're safe here. Your uncle isn't here, and even if he returned into the future, he wouldn't be able to enter the Hogwarts grounds. We can even ask Professor Slytherin to obliviate him about you, before he sends him back into our time, so that he won't remember you at all. You don't have to worry about him at all."

"Thank you," Harry mumbled, throwing his guardians a grateful look.

"It's all right, sweetie; try to go back to sleep," Rose said softly, gently wiping the boy's sweaty face with a cool cloth, causing the child to relax and close his eyes in relief.

HP HEALER POMFREY HP

When Harry woke up the next time, his aunt was sitting on the edge of his bed, watching him in concern.

"Good morning, Aunt Rose," Harry said hoarsely, throwing the woman a small smile.

"How do you feel, Harry?" she asked, giving him a piercing look.

"Not so good," Harry replied honestly.

"I thought so. I'm sorry Harry; I shouldn't have let you attend dinner at the Great Hall yesterday. It was obviously too much for you." She sighed and gently helped him to sit up, before she handed him two potions, glad when he gulped them down without questioning. "You may spend the day on the sofa, Harry, but I want you to rest. If you feel well enough you may have breakfast with us in the kitchen. Professor Salazar will come to have breakfast with us in a few minutes. Afterwards, you must lie down again."

"Kay," Harry mumbled, fiercely rubbing his aching forehead.

"Harry, do you need a headache potion too?"

"Yes please," Harry replied gratefully.

All of a sudden, Severus entered the room. "Good morning, Harry. Is everything all right? Professor Salazar has just arrived, and we should have breakfast."

"Harry obviously aggravated his condition by being up too long yesterday. His fever is a degree higher than during the last days, and he's not feeling too well today," Rose quickly filled him in.

"But it's all right," Harry spoke up, scrambling out of his bed, giving his aunt a grateful nod when she cast a refreshing spell at him, before she handed him his robes.

"There is no need to dress properly, since you'll be going back to bed right after breakfast," she said sternly, helping him to pull his robes over his pyjamas.

A few minutes later, the small family entered the kitchen, where Salazar Slytherin was playing with the enchanted window. The Snapes couldn't believe their eyes when they looked into the window. The founder was watching a cat in front of a huge fireplace, where the cat was stretching and licking her limbs, obviously doing morning gymnastics.

"Is that Professor McGonagall in her Animagus form?" Harry asked in confusion.

"Yes, that's McGonagall's living room," Slytherin smirked, causing Severus and Rose to roll their eyes.

"I'm sorry, but we normally don't look into the teachers' private quarters," Severus instructed his guest in his soft silky voice, causing the Founder to throw the cat a last glance, before he tapped the window to change the view to the Headmaster's office, where Professor Dumbledore was chatting with Fawkes, popping a lemon drop in his mouth at the same time.

Harry couldn't help giggling, causing everyone to look at him in concern when his giggles turned into harsh coughs.

"Are you all right, little one?" Slytherin asked gently.

"Yes, I'm fine; I'm sorry," Harry replied hurriedly.

During breakfast, the three adults talked about potions, long lost potions, newly invented potions, and potions they'd like to create. '_So much about playing wizard's chess with Uncle Severus_,' Harry thought, feeling slightly disappointed.

"Harry, please try to eat a bit more," Rose admonished him sternly, seeing that he was only playing with his food.

Harry slowly turned his eyes to look at his aunt. "I'm sorry, but I can't eat right now. May I go back to bed, please?" he asked hesitantly.

Of course," Rose replied, standing up immediately. She led him to the sofa in the living room, helped him to lie down, and carefully tucked him in, before she pointed her wand at his head, frowning. "Harry, are you upset about something that made your condition worsen so much, or did we just overdo it yesterday?" she asked softly, gently stroking his flushed cheeks.

"I don't know," Harry replied, lazily closing his eyes, just when Severus and Professor Slytherin entered the room.

"Severus, I'm sorry, but I need you to stay here with Harry until I'm back. I have to go to see the Headmaster," Rose informed her husband, causing him to throw her a confused look.

"Of course, we'll stay with Harry. Do you know what Albus wants?"

"I've no idea, Sev, but since he told me twice that he wanted to speak with me I better go and see what he wants." Receiving a confirming nod from her husband, Rose stepped into the fireplace.

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"Good morning Headmaster," Rose greeted the man, stepping out of the fireplace in the round office.

"Good morning, Healer Evans-Snape. Thank you for joining me," Dumbledore replied, offering his guest a lemon drop, which was politely declined. "How is Harry on this fine morning?" he asked gently.

Rose let out a small sigh. "He's worse than yesterday. Attending Christmas dinner in the Great Hall obviously was too much for him. I believe that his immune system is weakened due to the lack of treatment of illnesses during his earlier childhood, and I intend to watch him closely from now on."

"Very good," Dumbledore agreed, and Rose noticed that his eyes were twinkling merrily. "The reason why I asked you to visit me is that I'd like to make a suggestion to you," he said pensively and, seeing that Rose threw him an interested look, continued, "As you probably can imagine, our Healer Pomfrey has a huge work load here in such a large castle full of children. Hearing that you were taking Harry in just before she left for a much needed break, she came to me and requested that I should try to hire you to work here together with her instead of working at St. Mungo's. Therefore, I'd like to ask you if you'd be willing to abandon your work at the hospital in favour of our hospital wing at Hogwarts. You'd probably work in two shifts, but that would merely be a question of arrangement between you and Madam Pomfrey."

Rose sat there completely stunned. '_I love my work at the hospital_,' she mused, '_but on the other hand, I'd have so much more time for Harry and would be much better able to keep an eye on him, especially if his condition is as bad as it seems_.' She sighed and replied thoughtfully, "Thank you very much, Headmaster, for this offer."

"There's no need to thank me, my child. Thank Madam Pomfrey since she was the one, who suggested that she'd like to work together with you," Dumbledore interrupted her gently.

"Well, since it would give me the possibility to better watch over my son, I'd like to accept your offer, Headmaster," Rose replied, feeling very contented with her decision.

"When will you be able to start, Healer Evans-Snape? We'd of course like to have you here as soon as possible."

"I've several weeks of holidays left, so I think they'll probably let me go immediately," Rose mused aloud. "I'll floo to the hospital and speak with the Head Healer this afternoon, provided that Severus can look after Harry."

"Will we see you at lunch or dinner in the Great Hall today, or shall I tell everyone about your decision, which will be appreciated greatly by our complete staff?"

"I won't be able to attend any meal today, since Harry needs absolute bed rest," Rose told the man with determination, before she excused herself and stepped back into the fireplace.

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When Rose returned home, Severus threw her an interested look, raising an eyebrow.

"He wanted to offer me a position here in the hospital wing together with Poppy," she answered his unasked question, "and of course I accepted, since that'll give me much more time with my family."

Severus gently pulled her into an embrace. "I'm very glad about that, Rose, and so will Harry. He'll need you a lot during the coming weeks and months."

"He'll need his new father in the same way," Rose replied, smiling, and looked at her wrist watch. "I suggest that the two of you head to the Great Hall for lunch, while I'll stay with Harry. After lunch, I need you to watch him once more, because I have to floo to St. Mungo's and see when they'll let me go."

"Yes, let's eat lunch in the Great Hall," Professor Slytherin replied eagerly, causing Severus to chuckle.

"We talked about several things while you were away, and I believe he has a crush on one of our colleagues," he whispered to his wife, who gave him a worried look.

"Are you sure that you're feeling well?" she asked, quickly feeling his forehead in concern.

"I'm not delirious," Severus hissed in annoyance, before he hurriedly left their quarters after the Founder.

_

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tbc..._

_I am not a native speaker of English. So please excuse my mistakes – or tell me, so that I can correct them!_

_All recognizable characters belong to __J. K. Rowling__, and I am not earning anything by writing this story._


	8. Chapter 8

**Harry's Strange Charms – Chapter 8**

When Harry woke up, Severus was sitting on the edge of the sofa grading tests. "How are you feeling, Harry?" he enquired in his soft silky voice.

"A bit better," Harry croaked, looking around in surprise. "Where are Aunt Rose and Professor Slytherin?" he asked hesitantly.

"Aunt Rose is at St. Mungo's for a while. Professor Dumbledore offered her a position here at Hogwarts, and she accepted to work together with Madam Pomfrey in order to have more time for us. Therefore, she had to go to the hospital and debate when they'll let her go."

"She's going to work here at the hospital wing?" Harry whispered. He felt completely amazed by the thought of having an aunt and an uncle nearby all the time. "That's brilliant."

"Yes indeed," Severus agreed. "Professor Slytherin," he chuckled, "invited Professor McGonagall for a walk around the lake."

"He what?!" Harry blurted out. "I thought he came here to study together with you, Uncle Severus?"

"Yes," Severus replied, "but I have the impression that he finds your Head of House quite attractive."

HP HEALER POMFREY HP

Over the rest of the holidays, Rose kept Harry in bed since his condition was still not good. Fortunately, St. Mungo's had allowed her to take her holidays immediately, so that she didn't have to go back to work before she could begin working at Hogwarts.

Salazar and Severus spent most of the day in the potions lab, where they taught each other useful potions and exchanged their recipes. However, to Harry's relief, Salazar insisted on spending a few hours together with other professors and with his basilisk each day, so that Severus still had time to play wizard's chess with Harry.

"Harry, I can't teach you Potions as long as your condition is so bad, but I'll teach you when you're back to health; we can even do that after school starts again," Severus told him a few days after Christmas, causing Harry to let out a huge gasp.

"Oh no! Uncle Severus, I have to go and speak with Professor McGonagall," Harry said urgently and scrambled out of his bed only to feel himself being pushed back again.

"Tell me what's wrong, Harry. You know that you aren't allowed to get up yet," Severus replied sternly, giving the child a concerned look.

"She told me I had to study with her from the first day of the holidays onwards, but I completely forgot," Harry said upset.

Severus sighed. "Harry, first of all, Professor McGonagall knows that you're ill and not allowed to get up let alone study. Secondly, all the teachers believe that you only failed your tests because you were ill when you took them. Even during the test week, everyone already wondered why you were doing so much worse in your tests than in class. You may take your tests again when Aunt Rose says that you're well enough to study again, and I'm sure that you'll do fine even without studying beforehand."

HP HEALER POMFREY HP

Only in the second week of classes, Rose deemed Harry fit enough to attend classes and take his tests again, and this time Harry did very well in all his tests. During the first week of school, Rose had taken the evening shift in the hospital wing, so that she could remain at home and look after Harry while Severus had to teach. After that week, Poppy and Rose decided that Rose should take the morning shift in order to be at home for Severus and Harry in the evening. Since Poppy didn't have a family, either shift was all right for her, and she was extremely glad to have much less work than before. She also gladly took over the night shift in case students needed them during the nights.

Even if Harry was allowed to attend classes, Rose insisted that he still had to spend the nights at home, so that she could have an eye on him. Harry didn't mind; he was very happy. For the first time in his life, he felt loved and welcomed at home. '_It's as if they were my real parents_,' he thought, when they were sitting in the living room one night. Like every evening, Harry was doing his homework, Severus was grading NEWT class' essays, and Rose helped her husband grading first years' homework.

When Harry put his quill on the table, sighing in relief, Severus looked up from his work. "Are you finished with your homework, Harry?" he enquired. Seeing that Harry nodded, he continued, "I have to brew a batch of Pepperup potion for the hospital wing. Would you mind helping me in the lab?"

"Of course not," Harry replied, "provided that you tell me what I have to do, sir."

Over the next two hours, adoptive father and son diligently worked together in the potions lab. Severus explained in a very gentle way what he expected Harry to do, and the child did his best to please the man, who noticed quickly that he was as adept at brewing as his mother and his aunt.

"Now that I know you're not the dunderhead you always made me believe you were, I expect that you excel in class, young man," Severus told him sternly, while he cleaned up the lab with a wave of his wand.

"I'll try, Uncle Severus," Harry replied uncertainly. '_It was fun to brew together with Uncle Severus though_,' he mused, yawning.

However, on the next day, Harry had Defence against the Dark Arts right before his Potions class, and like it already happened a few times his scar began to hurt badly in Professor Quirrel's presence. '_I have to speak with Uncle Severus about Quirrel and my headaches_,' he mused, while he dragged himself down to the Potions classroom, leaving his friends to wonder what was wrong with him.

Severus however noticed immediately that Harry wasn't his normal self. "What's wrong, Mr. Potter?" he asked in a voice that was not as gentle as it was at home but neither as snidely as it used to be in class before.

"I often get headaches in Professor Quirrel's class, and today it's quite bad," Harry replied in a hardly audible voice, causing the teacher to frown.

"Go and see if Aunt Rose is already at home; otherwise go to the hospital wing and ask for a headache potion; we'll talk about this later," Severus replied in an equally quiet voice, ushering the boy into his office, from where Harry could access their private quarters through a connecting door.

Later the same evening, after Harry had taken a nap that worked better than the headache potion, Severus made Harry tell him everything about his problem with Professor Quirrel.

"So it's your scar more than other parts of your head," Severus said thoughtfully, giving his wife a pointed look, which Harry couldn't understand. "I believe that Quirrel might be possessed by a dark wizard, and since your scar acts on him it can only be the Dark Lord. I always suspected that he wasn't really dead," the teacher continued.

Seeing that Harry gave her husband a questioning look, Rose explained, "The Dark Lord is the one, who murdered your parents, Harry. You're probably connected to him through your scar, and that could be the reason why your scar hurts when you come near him. Please promise me that you'll be very careful, sweetie."

"Of course," Harry promised, feeling slightly frightened at the thought that the man, who had wanted to kill him, was running around in the castle, even if he only possessed someone else.

"Yes, I'm sorry, I forgot to tell you something about the matter," Salazar all of a sudden spoke up, causing the small family to jump up from their seats, startled.

"Salazar! When did you come back?" Rose was the first to pull herself out of her stupor, turning to the man in surprise.

"Ten minutes ago," Salazar laughed. "I've been listening to your conversation for a while now. I don't know if you're aware of the fact, but Rowena Ravenclaw is a Seer. She saw several things about this evil person in advance, and she taught me how to get rid of him. It's a complicated spell, and you, Rose and Severus, I, Dumbledore and Minerva have to cast the spell together in order to work. I can teach you, whenever you have time. We also need to teach Harry to cast a spell, which he has to cast in order to call the possessing spirit to the front; otherwise the possessed person would be hit by our spell. Rose will probably be able to help Harry casting that spell because of their blood relationship."

"You're full of secrets, aren't you, Salazar?" Rose laughed. "It's extremely relieving to hear that you know how to get rid of the evil, especially since he seems to be after Harry."

"Is that the reason why you came back, Professor?" Severus enquired curiously.

"No. Oh well, it's one of the reason of course, but the main reason is a different one," Salazar replied, chuckling.

_

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tbc..._

_I am not a native speaker of English. So please excuse my mistakes – or tell me, so that I can correct them!_

_All recognizable characters belong to __J. K. Rowling__, and I am not earning anything by writing this story._


	9. Chapter 9

**Harry's Strange Charms – Chapter 9**

Salazar, the Headmaster, Minerva, Rose, Severus and Harry spent the whole weekend in the Snapes' quarters, practising the spell Salazar taught them. '_It's not really difficult to cast it on a dummy_,' Harry mused, '_but will I succeed in casting it on Quirrel, when my scar will probably be hurting badly?_'

"Harry," Dumbledore's voice pulled him out of his thoughts. "It'll probably afford a lot of magic to cast the spell on Professor Quirrel, even if your Aunt Rose casts it together with you. You'll have to try putting as much magic into the spell as possible."

"When do you intend to attack Quirrel?" Rose queried, throwing Salazar and the Headmaster a questioning look.

"We can either do it next weekend," Salazar began thoughtfully, "or we have to do it sometime in the morning or after lunch. In the evenings, Harry will be too tired to summon enough magic to hold the spell and force Voldemort into the front until we're through with our spell, especially as Voldemort will try to fight the spell as soon as he notices that he is being attacked."

"Very well then," Dumbledore continued, "I'll call for a staff meeting tomorrow after lunch. Minerva, you will inform those who don't have to attend in order not to alert Quirrel that it won't be a normal staff meeting. Harry, please come to the Head table and follow us to the staffroom right after lunch."

HP HEALER POMFREY HP

Everyone agreed to meet in the staffroom on Monday after lunch. On Rose's and Severus' advice, Harry skipped the Defence class, which was his last morning class, and spent the time playing wizard's chess with Salazar, but he couldn't really concentrate. The thought, '_What'll happen if I fail to cast the spell, or if I can't hold it until the others are through with Voldemort?_' was present in the front of his mind.

"Harry, are you worrying about the spell?" Salazar queried, realising that Harry was very absentminded.

"Yes," Harry replied, absently playing with the knight he had taken from Salazar a few minutes ago.

"Well then, let me remind you that my colleague, Rowena Ravenclaw, is a Seer. The scenes she watches are not dreams but visions, and she saw us getting rid of Voldemort's spirit that way. So there is no need to worry. You just have to do your best and it'll work out," Salazar told him calmingly, willingly forgetting to mention that Rowena had told him about two different visions, of which this one had been by far the more preferable one.

Finally, lunchtime came and soon the teachers gathered in the staffroom. Dumbledore spoke about a fake disease spreading over the magical world for a few minutes, before he unobtrusively nodded at Rose and Harry to begin with their attack.

Feeling very reassured by the presence and help of his aunt, Harry quietly mumbled the incantation, discreetly pointing his wand at Quirrel, just like his aunt did next to him. It took a short while for the professor to realise that something wasn't right and look around in horror, while his face took on a pained expression.

Soon, Harry felt his head explode in pain. Like from far away, he heard Rose pressing out the start signal for the others, "All right," while she trained her wand on the professor, continuously casting the spell.

'_I have to stay conscious_,' Harry thought frantically as he fought against the tiredness, the pain and the professor's power, which Voldemort's spirit used in a desperate attempt to remain at the back of Quirrel's head.

However, Rose and a half conscious Harry managed to keep the evil spirit in the foreground, and the teachers could efficiently cast their spell. Just before he lost consciousness completely and his spell failed, Harry saw something black emerge from the professor's turban. Unbeknownst to Harry, the black cloud rose a metre into the air, where it exploded and was finally vanished by a Scourgify spell cast by Minerva.

HP HEALER POMFREY HP

When Harry's mind turned back to consciousness and he lazily opened his eyes, he found himself back in his room, lying in his own bed. Severus was sitting on the edge of his bed, reading a Potions journal.

"Hello Harry, welcome back to the world of the living," the Potions Master greeted his adoptive son, smirking.

'_What happened?_' Harry mused. '_Was that a dream?_' He slowly lifted his right hand and brought it to his scar, noticing in surprise that he couldn't touch it, because his whole forehead was covered by gauze.

"What happened?" he croaked, suddenly feeling very thirsty.

Severus held a glass of water out for him, and Harry hurried to sit up. "Small sips, Harry; you don't want to drown. You've been unconscious for two days," he informed the boy, causing Harry to gasp and nearly choke on the water.

"What happened to Professor Quirrel?"

Severus sighed. "The Dark Lord's spirit is gone. Professor Quirrel is at St. Mungo's. I don't think he'll ever return to normality again. Everything worked out just like Professor Slytherin told us. Congratulations, Harry."

"Thank you, sir." Harry forced a small smile on his face, still feeling sick at the thought of casting the spell.

"How are you feeling, Harry?" Severus queried, giving him a sharp look.

"Fine. May I get up?"

Severus glanced at his wrist watch. "Wait for another half an hour, until Aunt Rose comes home. She'll probably allow you to get up, but I'm going to leave the decision to her, considering how long you were unconscious with a head injury."

Fortunately, Rose deemed Harry fit to attend classes again from the following day onwards. To Harry's relief, no one at Hogwarts except for the teachers, who had been involved in the matter, knew what had happened, and although many rumours had been spreading around the castle during the last two days, none of them hit the truth.

HP HEALER POMFREY HP

The remaining months of Harry's first Hogwarts year passed completely uneventfully. Although he was allowed to return to his dormitory, Harry was so happy to finally have a family just for himself that he spent every weekend at home. He felt so all-round content that he completely forgot about the Dursleys and their predicament. It was only at the end of the school year that he remembered what had happened to his other aunt.

"Aunt Rose, do you by chance know what happened to Aunt Petunia?" he hesitantly asked one day after spending his end of year test in History of Magic pondering the topic.

"Oh sweetie, I have no idea," Rose said, sighing. "We must ask Salazar when he comes back."

"Is he going to come back at all?" Harry queried in surprise. "I thought he only came to help us get rid of Voldemort's spirit."

Rose laughed. "As far as I understood, he has a different reason to come back from time to time, and he promised to come and visit us again over the summer holidays. How were your tests, by the way? Was everything all right? I haven't seen you the whole week."

Harry's face darkened remarkably at the thought of his Defence Against the Dark Arts test. "I think I failed the Defence test completely. The professor is such a fraud!" he replied, and Rose noticed in surprise that her normally very calm nephew became very upset.

"Oh well, I don't like Lockhart either, but the Headmaster hired him, because it seems to be very difficult to find a decent Defence professor, and he had planned to hire him for the next school year anyway. Why do you think he's a fraud?" Rose queried in concern.

"The test only consisted of questions about him," Harry replied angrily. "Which colours does Lockhart like and such. There wasn't one question that had anything to do with Defence."

"Uncle Severus and I will speak with the Headmaster about the matter," Rose promised. "Don't worry about failing the test, sweetie."

HP HEALER POMFREY HP

In the evening, the teachers had a long staff meeting, during which for the first time in the history of Hogwarts a teacher was fired a few days before the end of the school year.

When Harry and Ron traipsed down to the Great Hall in the morning, Harry suddenly found Professor Lockhart stepping in their way. "Please go ahead, Mr. Weasley; I'd just like to have a word with Mr. Potter," the former professor said sweetly, causing always hungry Ron to hurry towards the Great Hall.

"Mr. Potter, it's thanks to you that I lost my job here, but let me tell you something. There is one thing I'm really good at."

"I bet it has nothing to do with Defence," Harry muttered, more to himself than to the professor.

"Your bet is right. It's not a defence but an offence spell. I'm really good at Memory Charms," Lockhart shouted and pointed his wand at Harry, mumbling something that Harry didn't understand.

_

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tbc..._

_Thank you so much for your kind reviews! I really appreciate them! Sorry that it took me so long to update. I'll try to hurry up with the next chapter._

_I am not a native speaker of English. So please excuse my mistakes – or tell me, so that I can correct them!_

_All recognizable characters belong to __J. K. Rowling__, and I am not earning anything by writing this story._


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